European football returns to the free-to-play Sorare Academy

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After an enjoyable summer of MLS action, European football is back and we’ve got matches to pick from across three of the five big leagues this weekend.

This week, we’ve got some tips from a new guest blogger, Jonny, which should help you whether you’re playing our free-to-play game or dipping your toe into the main Sorare game. 

After playing a range of other fantasy games for many years and a peak of a top 600 FPL finish, Jonny found Sorare in July 2020 and hasn’t looked back. You can find him on Twitter as @IndexGuru.

The Sorare Academy allows users to explore the Sorare platform and play with the most expensive players without paying the price – and to compete for Sorare prizes, with the top 15 players winning a limited card each week.

ENTER THE SORARE ACADEMY HERE

Tip 1: Look for peak scores

Making the top 15 of the Sorare Academy will take incredible scores; therefore, when looking at players to choose, you need to target players who can score 90+ points.

For example, Rafael Borré and Florian Tardieu have a very similar average per game, but for the Academy, I am going to be more likely to pick Tardieu if he has a good match. 

Here’s why: if Borré has a good game, you will probably be limited to 70 points, but if Tardieu has one of his better games, I know it could reach the top scores of 80 to 100.

Tip 2: Use high-scoring partnerships 

The term ‘stacking’ means using players from the same team in the same line-up. The logic is that you only need one result to work in your favour to get a good score. The difficulty is picking five players from that team who all get a decent return.

One option is to place a goalkeeper and defender from the same team in your line-up. If the team keeps a clean sheet, they both benefit – the keeper gets a 25-point boost and the defender receives 10 points.

Looking at Alexander Nubel and Benoit Badiashile in the example above, they hit their peak scores when Monaco kept a clean sheet. By combining these players, you would have started with 172 points and wouldn’t need to rely on another clean sheet.

Combining midfielders and attackers might not be as clear-cut as defenders and keepers as they don’t necessarily benefit from the same action, although one tactic could be to pick attackers and midfielders from teams you think will score lots of goals that week. If a team scores five goals, the chances are you will get several goals and assists among your attackers.

Tip 3: Use fixtures to your advantage

In a one-week contest like Sorare Academy, it is crucial to focus on the best players overall and on good players who also have good fixtures.

You might think that Christopher Nkunku is one of the best players to use, but in a game against Bayern Munich, he would not be the best pick. Similarly, you may not like Wolfsburg as a team, but they could be playing a newly promoted side who concede a lot of goals. This would make some Wolfsburg players a perfect pick for that week. 

Aim for:

• A team at the top of the league in good form playing a team in the lower half in poor form
• Picking attackers who play teams that concede a lot of goals
• Picking defenders and keepers who play against teams that don’t score a lot

Here are three fixtures you might consider for the Gameweek beginning 5th August:

1. Fulham vs Liverpool 

After their Community Shield triumph, Liverpool faces newly-promoted Fulham at Craven Cottage. Liverpool finished second in the league last year, scoring 94 goals and only conceding 26 goals in their 38 games last season. This makes them great options in attack and defence.

Conversely, when Fulham were last in the Premier League, they only scored 27 goals and conceded 53. With this in mind, you would assume that Liverpool will score several goals, and their defence should be strong enough to keep a clean sheet.

2. Clermont vs PSG

PSG finished the season as Ligue 1 champions and, like Liverpool, were both dominant in defence and attack. They scored 90 goals, which was eight more than the next best in the league. They also had the joint best defence in the league, only conceding 36 goals. 

On the other hand, Clermont just avoided relegation while scoring 38 and conceding 69. The results were 6-1 and 4-0 in PSG’s favour when the two sides faced each other last season.

3. Lyon vs Ajaccio 

Lyon are a solid attacking side and last season scored 66 goals, which was third best in the league. Their defence, on the other, concedes quite a few goals; therefore, I would focus mainly on their midfield and attack. 

Ajaccio did, however, have a solid defensive record in Ligue 2, but it will be a big step up in their return to Ligue 1. When the two sides met in the 2021 Coupe de France, Lyon won the game 5-1.

Best of luck this Gameweek – don’t forget the deadline to pick your team is Friday at 11am!

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